Anamur-Iskele, Turkey: Secret Seaside

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Laid-back Iskele is far from empty, however, as its welcoming mix of mainly small, family hotels and pensions (many a minute or two from the gorgeous beach) and smattering of simple restaurants make it a haven.

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Where is the beach? Turkey’s southern Mediterranean coast, 160 miles south-east of Antalya airport

Who’s it good for? Great for younger families - there’s not a lot to do in the evenings for teens

What is there to do? Relax on the eight mile-long, coarse white sand beach, book-ended by a medieval castle and a Roman city

What makes it special? Each spring many hundreds of turtles heave themselves ashore to lay their eggs in obligingly soft sand

Gaze south from the beach fronting the small resort of Iskele, across a vast expanse of crisp blue ocean, and you’ll see a lone, ragged hump smudging the horizon. The hump is Cyprus, Aphrodite’s birthplace, 70 miles away. Behind the beach, a broad swathe of fertile plain, dotted with citrus groves and small banana plantations, merges seamlessly into the lushly forested foothills of the Taurus Mountains, which rise northwards in ever steepening folds before merging into the great sweep of the Anatolian steppe-lands beyond.

Iskele is relaxed, and attracts locals, not thousands of tourists. Photo: Alamy

The upsides of Iskele, the seaside resort companion to the town of Anamur, a mile and half inland, are obvious. There are no all-inclusive complexes, few high rise hotels, little in the way of water sports and even less nightlife. These factors alone mean few foreigners visit; the long drive here from the nearest airport is another deterrent. Laid-back Iskele is far from empty, however, as its welcoming mix of mainly small, family hotels and pensions (many a minute or two from the gorgeous beach) and smattering of simple restaurants make it a haven for Turks. In summer, families head down here from Ankara and other inland cities to laze in the shallows, sunbathe, read, eat, drink and mind their offspring. Stay here and you really do mix with the locals – and pay Turkish, not tourist, prices.

Adjust your expectations if you are thinking in terms of an unspoilt village of quaint 19th-century stone cottages. The buildings here are somewhat functional, and inland fields have been developed for agriculture. But the beach, gently shelving and curving away into a soft blue distance, compensates. In August, you may be lucky enough to witness, as I did on one occasion, a newly-hatched turtle emerge from the sand and drag itself painstakingly, yoke-sack trailing, into the Mediterranean. In 2008, conservationists logged over 50,000 baby loggerhead sea turtles entering the briny here, so the odds of a sighting are higher than you might think. If you’re not fortunate enough to spot a turtle, you can at least feast on the fruit grown in such profusion around Anamur – the banana. Small, sweet and delicious, they’re prized country wide.

In Roman times this region was Rough Cilicia. A beautiful but isolated land of tumbling cliffs, wave-battered headlands and remote coves, it was so heavily infested with pirates that the Romans were forced to launch a full-scale military campaign to drive them out; it’s little wonder that these shores later became known as the Pirate Coast.

Away from the sea and sand, the extensive ruins of the Roman city of Anemurium (daily 8am-7.30pm; 5TL/£1.40), scattered behind the south-western end of the beach, are an evocative reminder of this era. If you visit in the heat of summer, explore the ruined bath house, theatre and extensive necropolis towards sunset, following up with a dip in the warm sea or a scramble out to rocky Cape Anamur, Turkey’s southernmost point.

Castle Mamure is half an hour's walk from Iskele. Photo: Getty

At the eastern end of the beach, half an hour’s walk from Iskele (you’ll have to cross the placid, reed fringed Dragon river en route; there’s invariably a boat waiting), is an absolutely text-book Medieval castle, Mamure (daily 8am-7.30pm; 5TL). Improbably picturesque, it perches above the gently lapping waters of the Mediterranean so alluringly that it has been used as a backdrop in several Turkish films. Explore its crenelated battlements, admire the sea and mountain vistas and ponder the history of a wonderfully well-preserved fortification occupied by, amongst others, the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia, the Crusaders and Ottoman Turks.

Anamur has grown since the intrepid British travel writer Freya Stark visited in the 1950s, but you may well come away with the same memories. “I shall remember Anamur when more comfortable places are forgotten.…the scent of orange blossoms wafted from all the gardens through the city streets, and the unknown sweet breezes from the fields and flowers.”

The essentials

GETTING THERE

Anamur-Iskele is best reached from Antalya. The airport is served by Thomas Cook (flythomascook.com), which offers year round flights from several British airports, as does Thomson (thomsonfly.co.uk). Turkish carrier Pegasus (flypgs.com) flies from Stansted, whilst from April-end October easyJet (easyjet.com) and Monarch (monarch.co.uk) fly from Gatwick and Manchester. Air-conditioned coaches run from Antalya’s bus station (5.5hrs) for £6.70, a taxi from Anamur to Iskele is around £3. Alternatively, hire a car at the airport from £19 a day (firstrentacar.info) and drive (four hours) – the route is stunningly beautiful after Gazipasa, though the mountain road is tortuous.

Loggerhead turtles come ashore at Iskele to lay their eggs. Photo: AP

WHERE TO STAY

Esya Hotel £ Extremely friendly, spotlessly clean family-run hotel just behind the beach-strip and near the town-centre. Retired French teacher owner Yakup is charming, as is his wife Emel. They go out of their way to make guests feel comfortable. All eight rooms, white and pine, have balconies – some with sea views. Doubles from £25, including breakfast. (0539 491 021; anamur.gen.tr/hotelesya)

Tayfun Hotel £ A step-up from the English-speaking owner’s long-established Eser Pansiyon (worth considering for families on a rock-bottom budget; www.eserpansiyon.com), the Tayfun offers smarter accommodation. Situated 150 yards from the beach, the plain white rooms are clean, simple and have a/c, LCD TVs and a fridge. Doubles from 80TL/£23, including breakfast (0324 814 1161; tayfunotel.com).

Yan Hotel ££ Small, three –storey family-run hotel, the balconied-rooms at the front have great sea views. Rooms are simple but smart, with white walls and pine furniture and trim. Breakfast is served in a lush, flower-decked garden, the beach just a hop and skip away. Plus there’s a decent restaurant and billiard table. Doubles from115TL/£33, including breakfast (0324 814 2123; yanhotel.com).

WHERE TO EAT

You won’t eat a bad meal in any of Iskele’s simple restaurants, nor will you find anything exceptional. What you will discover is traditional Turkish cuisine, rustled up from the excellent local produce. Prices are sensible, as the middle-class Turks who venture down here won’t pay over the odds, and because of the competition provided by the pensions and hotels, many of which have good value in-house restaurants. One long-established and reliable fish place in the village square is Kap with excellent meze and grilled fish. Open daily 10am-11pm (0342 814 2374).

INSIDE TRACK

It’s easy to overlook Anamur Museum (daily 8am-5pm; free), especially worth visiting after the short trip out to Anemurium, as many of the Roman and Byzantine exhibits were found there. There are also some interesting artefacts from the Yörük, nomadic Turkic pastoralists whose traditional lifestyle just about lingers on in the Taurus range behind Anamur.

If Mamure has whet your appetite for Medieval fortifications, drive 12 miles east to Bozyazı, where spectacular (if ruined) Softa Castle circles a precipitous hill.